A number of yarns available today have tenacities in excess of 10 decinewtons per tex (dN/tex). In this category one finds yarns of Kevlar.RTM. aramid fiber, glass fiber, carbon fiber, aromatic polyester fiber and fibers of certain other materials. It is believed that the compressive strengths of such yarns, and particularly of the aramid and aromatic polyester yarns, may have restricted their use as reinforcement in structural composite applications. An object of the present invention is to provide structures of such yarns wherein compressive strength is enhanced with minimal reduction in tensile strength.